Shadows of the Past
by DarkRedRoses
Summary: A collection of one-shots about the Dark Court. Takes place during FE - ch. 1 - and RS - ch. 2,... - Different characters in each chapter.
1. Chapter 1: Return

A/N: Behold! The first chapter of my new story. I'm so glad I finished it. *content sigh* It was actually more difficult than I expected. And I'm still not 100% happy with it! Ow well... T_T  
I got the idea for this fic during one of my random conversations with **Angelz on Edge**, so she gets special thanks. ^^

This is a collection of one-shots, all about the Dark Court. Because each chapter will focus on different characters, I'll also write their names in the A/N.

I'm going to shut up now, but please be nice and also read the A/N on the bottom part, OK? Enjoy the DC-goodness! xD

**Disclaimer:** (unfortunatly) I don't own Wicked Lovely, the other books or its characters.

**Characters:** Niall & Irial (Yes, it has hints of Nirial in it. Because it's canon. You can't ignore it)

* * *

**Return**

Irial walked down another street, his feet guiding him to an all-too familiar place while his mind was occupied with other things. He had concluded that today's weather had somehow succeeded to visualise his chaotic emotions perfectly; it was overcast and a soft drizzle slowly soaked his skin, but he could vaguely recognise a few rays of sun in the distance. To expirience happiness, even if it was just for a while, was that possible for someone who lived from feelings like panic and despair? He knew the possibility was there – always staying out of reach like those rays of sunlight – but sometimes, just knowing that there was the slightest chance helped him back up and kept him going on days when darker and heavier feelings threatened to pull him down. At this moment, he felt a lot closer to that elusive feeling than he had in a very long time.

After mere minutes, Irial stood before the mansion he once lived in as the Dark King. He thought he had to leave it behind for a long time – at least for several decades, maybe centuries – when he handed his court to Niall. Sure, he had hoped the day would come that he could enter this house again, but he never expected it to be so soon. The king's request to come home had startled him a bit, even more so because it had sounded as a request from an equal and not an order from someone superior. He didn't know what it was that made Niall change his mind so fast – maybe his anger towards the Summer King, his concern for their beloved Leslie's well-being, or something else – but it was still a possibility to start anew, to slowly regain his trust. It would take time, there was no doubt about that, but nothing could describe how grateful Irial was for this opportunity – another chance to gain a bit of happiness.

He walked to the front door and put his hand on the grey, stone gargoyle. The sharp and stinging pain from the bite was something he was already accustomed to after all these years. Access was granted and he stepped inside. Everything was exactly as he remembered it; from the arrangements of the furniture to the paintings on the walls and every other little detail of decoration. He thought the new king would've changed some things, but he was mistaken. The only noticeable difference was the lack of noise. Apparently, there were no other faeries in the house at the moment – something that was a rare occurrence in Irial's days of kingship. A short creaking and a click were heard as the door closed behind him.

"You are early." Niall walked into the hall, but stopped halfway, keeping a few feet distance. It didn't matter that Niall was the one that invited the former king here, he still felt uncomfortable being too close to Irial sometimes. This was definitely one of those times. "Since when do you arrive on time, instead of an hour too late?" His voice sounded a bit mocking, maybe even teasing, but Irial could only guess what it meant. The wall around the monarch's emotions was built up well – Irial couldn't even sense the slightest trace of them. He didn't know if he should be happy about the fact that the Gancanagh seemed to become more accustomed to his role as the Dark King, or mourn it because he couldn't read him like he used to. "I thought we agreed some changes would be nice?" Irial smiled at him. Not wanting to start an awkward silence, he continued quickly. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to know where I'll be staying from now on."

Niall eyed him suspiciously. "Over there." He gestured at a door further down the hallway, on his right. Irial started to proceed towards his room, but Niall grabbed him by the arm.

"My chambers are upstairs. I advise you to not come there, except in case of an emergency. For your own good." He added. "Understood." Irial nodded and gently slid his arm out of the other's grip, their fingertips brushing softly as he passed by. He paused at the doorstep of his room. "Niall… I really do appreciate your invitation. I just–"

"Yeah, I get it." Niall interrupted him, not wanting to hear whatever Irial would come up with this time. He lit another cigarette, turned around and went to the living room. He still wanted to say a lot of things to him, but he couldn't find the right words. How could something as trivial and simple as words ever be enough? They couldn't voice how torn, how confused and broken he had been inside for the past millennium; they couldn't erase everything that happened so long ago and they couldn't make him ignore the more recent events; and no matter how hard he tried, they couldn't tell the other faery what his presence here, and in his life in general really meant to him – because even Niall himself wasn't sure how he felt about that. Although dark fey can feed on emotions, what is the use of that if you can't figure out what your own feelings are? If you always hide them from others, until they are locked away so deep that you can't find them again?

Niall swalowed, and because he couldn't grasp those unspoken words that lingered between them and utter a coherent sentence, he said the only logical thing he could think of. "Welcome home."

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A/N: Reviews are always welcome. You can also review the next chapter if you like that one better. I'm posting it immediately after this one, b/c today is a special day…

It's my birthday! *throws confetti* (But I'm not telling you how old I am…letting you guess is much more fun for me *grin*) Plus, I just got back from France, so the result = I'm in a good mood and I thought I'd give you all a present too. ^^


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting

A/N: Here we have the second chapter! It takes place when Ani is at Irial's (or wait, it's Niall's now, right?) house, she's staying over again (really, it seemed like she did that quite often...or was I the only one who thought that?) I don't really have anything else to say, so… Let's just skip this part for once. xD

**Some explanations:**_most of the_ _text like this_is a flashback, "…" is dialog and '…' are thoughts.

**Characters:** Ani & Rae (just to be sure, I'll tell you beforehand; there's no romance whatsoever in this chapter)

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**Meeting**

Ani felt her eyelids grow heavy with sleep again as she straddled one of the soft, inviting pillows that lay on the king-sized bed. The dark silk sheets couldn't provide her with as much comfort as a living person would, but she didn't have another choice at the moment. '_Not as long as Gabe keeps up with these stupid rules.'_She yawned and let out a small sigh before she slowly drifted off.

-xxx-

She stood in the middle of an open spot in a densely grown forest. The sky was painted with a warm orange, that mingled with different shades of red and dark purple, slowly dissolving into a dark, velvety blue at the other end of the horizon. Judging from those colors, it was late in the evening. Ani knew where she was – well, not the exact location, but she had been here too many times before to not recognize it. Her imaginations, her dreams; they always seemed to be near the same forest or city. It was one of the few constant factors.

When she turned around, she saw another one of those factors; Rae. Her friend – by lack of another description – stood at the edge of the field, studying the first shimmering stars. Ani cleared her throat to get her attention. "So, you're here again?" Rae turned her gaze towards her and smiled. "Of course. I told you, right? The first time we met. I told you I would always be here when you needed me."

In the distance, Ani could hear the howling of wolves. Her wolves. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel their heartbeats, their sharp breathing as they ran – free from everything, able to move as they pleased. The same things she always longed for. They would protect her, keep her safe from any harm. They were hers, and she was theirs. It was the only glimpse of true belonging she could hang on to. "I remember…But I don't need you today. I want to be alone for a while. I need to think about some things." She gave Rae a pleading look. "Please?". Rae just nodded and disappeared between the shadows of the trees and other plants.

Ani did remember it. Their first encounter. It was etched in her memory, like it happened only days ago – while it had already been more than a few years.

-xxx-

_Everything was dark, so dark it nearly suffocated her. The little girl ran faster and faster, afraid of the various unknown sounds that resonated through the forest. A branch she had pushed aside swung back with a loud swish, the dry leaves and twigs made a crunching noise beneath her feet. It was almost impossible to breath, but she couldn't stop. Not now. Something was chasing her, she knew it. Observant eyes followed her slightest movement. She knew she should take a stand and fight, but every fiber in her body screamed 'run!'. These unfamiliar feelings made her feel vulnerable and scared._

_Her feet got stuck behind the root of a giant oak tree and she tripped. The fall didn't hurt that bad, but it suddenly just became too much for her. She was on the verge of tears as she heard a soft voice call out to her. "Excuse me, but are you alright?" Ani looked up into a pair of clear, friendly eyes._

_It appeared to be a young woman, dressed in light blue gown that seemed more appropriate to wear at a party during the hottest days of summer than in the middle of a chilly wood by night. Her hair was so long it could almost touch the ground, but it was tied back in an elegant ponytail that fell over her left shoulder. She didn't seem to belong here at all. Her clothes were tidy, not ripped or covered in mud like you would expect in a place like this and even though there was a fierce wind blowing, the locks of her hair always stayed in the same position._

_Ani sniffled and tried to speak. "Ye…Yeah, I think so. I-I just got a bit scared. I've been having this kind of nightmares since the day my mother...si-since she..." Tears like limpid pearls welled up again. The__mysterious__lady kneeled down until she was at eye-level with Ani and gently stroked them away. The girl glanced at her with an astonished look. "W-who are you? What are you doing here?" The woman eyed her with an almost child-like curiosity, without paying much mind to anything else. It didn't come as a surprise to Ani that even her voice seemed a bit spaced-out. "Hmm...My name is rather long to memorize. Especially for such a young girl. You can just call me Rae, alright? Everybody I know calls me that anyway." '_Well, that is certainly true'_, Rae thought to herself. It applied perfectly to the few people she remembered from the time when she was mortal, and now the only person she really spoke to was Devlin._

"_As for the 'what are you doing here?'-part, why do_you_think I'm here?" Rae stood up and reached out her hand towards the girl with her kindest smile. Remaining her calm composure was harder than she imagined, but what would you expect? While she was experimenting with her dream-walking abilities, she happened to arrive inside an almost nightmarish dream of the girl whose life Devlin spared not so long ago – at Rae's request, let's not forget about that._

_Ani inhaled deeply and wiped away her remaining tears with the sleeves of her shirt. "I guess you're just a part of my dream, huh?" A shy smile formed on her lips. "I just don't understand why I would be dreaming of someone who I've never met before." Rae gently pulled her up into an embrace and started to pet her hair. "You're meeting me now, doesn't that count?" She heard a choked giggle. Ani pulled back a bit. "That's a good point." She pushed Rae's hands completely away and took a seat on a fallen log. "I don't really know you yet, but at least I won't be lonely with you around."_

_Rae strode around a couple of broken braches and took a seat beside her. "Trust me, I'll always be around. Whenever you need me. That's a promise." '_I can't protect her in the real world, but this is something I _can_ do to help her.' _The half-Hound wore a real smile now. She looked at Rae, then up to the stars and softly whispered; "That's really kind. I could come to like you after all." Rae laughed at this comment and followed Ani's line of sight. The stars in dreams seemed so much brighter than the ones in reality. It was a perfect example of how people strive for an unreachable perfection in their dreams. From Rae's experiences, dreams usually reflected somebody's deepest hopes and wishes, frequently even hidden from the person itself. She still hadn't figured out whether that was a good or a bad quality. A sigh escaped her lips as she tried to relax and enjoy the landscape._

"_So, if you don't mind, why were you running so fast?" Suddenly Ani shot upright with a frightened look and quickly searched the surroundings. Saying that Rae was startled, would be an understatement. "What's wrong?" She asked again. "There was something chasing me, I could feel it!" Ani's voice trembled from the panicked feeling she desperately tried to suppress. A howl cut through the cold night and a beating sound of footsteps approached fast._

_A low growl caught their attention. A pair of fluorescent golden eyes appeared from the greenery and before they knew what was happening, a pack of wolves had encircled them. Ani gripped Rae's sleeve while she moved closer to her. All of a sudden, one of the wolves leaped forward. Ani screamed, but at the moment that his fangs would have cut the girl's flesh, it just disappeared into thin air. '_No'_, thought Rae, '_not into thin air_.' The wolf had disappeared_inside_Ani. The other wolves followed swiftly without leaving any trace of their earlier presence. Only the silent rustle of the wind remained._

_Ani stood transfixed, shocked and completely puzzled about what just happened to her. She swallowed and sunk back to the ground. Rae ran over to her and tried to comfort her. They just stayed like that until the morning came and Ani woke up._

-xxx-

That was probably one of her favorite memories. Not only had she met Rae, but that was also the first time she saw her wolves. Now she would laugh about the fact that she was so scared at first, but she couldn't help it at the time. She wasn't as brave as she would've liked back then. The only things she ever had to worry about before – and sometimes even after – her mother's death were just unimportant everyday stuff; what clothes to wear, what she would have for lunch or something trivial like that. But in the present, she had more important matters to think about. Like that mysterious faerie from the Crow's Nest. She sat down against a tree trunk and let her mind wander off. If only everything would remain that simple.

-xxx-

When Ani woke up the next morning, she felt a bit more vivid, but nonetheless not as much as she would've liked. Her throat was so dry she swore she could almost taste sand. She needed something to drink. She got out of the bed and strolled to the door. Her stomach made a growling sound – obviously, she needed some breakfast too. Admits her various thoughts, she vaguely remembered last night's events and couldn't help but feel a bit worried about Irial. She would check up on him later, just to make sure he was alright after his encounter with Niall. The Dark King had been in a rather edgy mood yesterday…

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A/N: This chapter was pretty fun to write, so I hope you enjoyed it. If you want me to write a chapter with a scene you thought was missing in the books, just ask and I'll see what I can do (as long as it's about the Dark Court).  
I'll update as soon as possible. ;D


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